We skipped terrible twos but 3 is horrible!!

[Leighleighbuggy]

We are having the terrible fours here! My middle son just turned 4 and it's like all of a sudden he thinks he doesn't have to listen to anything I say. I feel like one of those parents who has no control. I never felt like this before and it is awful!!! I am hoping he grows out of it soon because I don't know how much more I can take!!!

[gingerpeachee]

My son turned into a serious trouble maker with CONSTANT power struggles THE DAY he turned 3. Just keep rollin' with it. Be as consistent as you can. Some days you are going to feel ineffective; this is not going to be forever.

[mom2kaydncolt]

Three is like the dirty little secrets of mommy's everywhere. Three was the worst age ever for my oldest two. Terrible two's did not exist for them. But the torturous threes oh man. I dreaded them with the third but then he actually did have terrible twos. He's been much milder at three than his brothers were.

[katyldf]

Thanks ladies it's nice to know we're not alone with this!! Makes me wonder if those people who's kids are angels are really little devils at home. Today she got me so frustrated I just walked out of the room and had a mommy time out!! DH took over. Oh I sure hope four is better!!

[ecocentric]

Since you mentioned looking to books for help, I recommend Playful Parenting. (It may be available at your local library.) I greatly appreciated the expanded options it gave me to cope with frustrations of parenting. It emphasizes connection to encourage cooperation. I also just started "I Love You Rituals" and am finding it intriguing, again emphasizing that maintaining a connection is important to foster cooperation.

[momgoddess]

I don't know where the expression "terrible twos" came from, in my experience of four kids, age 3 is always the terrible age!!!

[blueone]

Yep, I hear you. I was a preschool teacher and while 2 is certainly challenging at times, 3 was so hard. I refused to teach that group. Not only do they have attitudes, but they have vocabulary too.

DS is only 2.5 and we're heading into that already. I found just staying calm and ignoring the tantrums helps. Spanking doesn't do a thing (admittedly as much as I am against it I have tried it a few times and it was always when I should have given myself a time out). I found 123 Magic full of wise advice and generally counting to 3 works with DS. I tell him what it is I need him to do and if he doesn't come by 3 I will make the choice for him or whatever it is (carry him, take the toy away for time out, etc). Taking an object he's misbehaving with away for time out is sometimes more affective than putting him into the time out. He always learns fast that way.

It's a challenge, but they mellow out half way through the age and are MUCH easier at 4. That was my favorite age group to teach!

[psylion]

Yep, three was much worse for us than two as well. It got somewhat better at four. DD s really starting into the teenager attitude now that she is 4.5. That's still better than the crazy person she was when she was three. It's a good thing she is so cute or we may have eaten her. Lol

[AbbieJack]

Four was A LOT worse than 2 or 3 here. LOL

[Quickshep19]

Three & four are quite difficult. My 4 yo has such a sassy mouth. He is getting to behave just like my oldest and he has medicated behavior problems.